The Difference Between Gliders & Rockers

Gliders

• Gliders feature a seat mounted on arms with springs and ball bearings rather than rockers. The arm and springs allow the chair seat to slide from back to front. Unlike the rocker, only the seat and back of the chair slides, while the base remains stationary.

Rockers

• Rocking chairs are mounted on curved bottoms called runners. When pushed into motion, the rockers provide a smooth back-and-forth movement along the arc of the runners. The entire chair moves along the runners like a pendulum.

Other Types of Rockers

• Some chairs that rock, such as loungers or rocker-recliners, make use of springs to create the rocking motion. The chair moves backward and forward in an arc on the heavy springs. Like the glider, the base of the chair is stationary with only springs providing motion.

Rocker-Gliders

• Rocker-gliders combine the rocking motion with the gliding movement. Rather than using runners, the rocker-glider uses springs to create the rocking sensation. They also include the glider arms and springs to provide the back-to-front swing of the glider.